Love Me If You Dare
by thefiretree
Summary: In one of the most beautiful squares of Rome is where Edward and Bella meet. They've found each other and by all rights, they should live happily then on. But it's not always that easy. When Edward is changed into a vampire, will love really surpass all?
1. Chapter 1: One Night

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. They all belong to the lovely Stephenie Meyer who we all owe dearly for introducing us to the world's most perfect man, the one, the only EDWARD CULLEN.**

**Summary: In one of the most beautiful squares of Rome is where Edward and Bella meet. They've found each other and by all rights, they should live happily then on. But it's not always that easy. When Edward is changed into a vampire, will love really surpass all?**

**A/N Well, here's my first ever piece of fanfiction. I would just like to warn, however, that one, this story is completely AU and two, I have never been to Italy and I sure as hell don't know how to speak the language. I'm basically running on BabelFish translations and whatever the internet can offer me. Either way, I hope you enjoy this story! Let me know what you think. ******

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February 4, 2004

Edward's POV

The night was beautiful. More beautiful than I had ever remembered a night in the Piazza Navona. I found myself wondering why this was. After all, I had lived in Rome ever since my family relocated here from our happy home in Chicago when I was just eleven. I wasn't in a particularly good mood. It wasn't a holiday night of any sort. But when I looked upon the three fountains of the square, they seemed more majestic than they ever had. I looked towards the heavens, the stars glowing with a suddenly mysterious effervescence. It shook me a little, the magnificence of it all. It almost felt as if I were first stepping into Rome all over again. Deciding to explore this sudden feeling, I stood up from my favorite bench. It was the bench on which I found myself every night I had to clear my head. I began to stroll around, finding a strange pull towards the _Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi_. It was unbelievably hard to ignore and so I was not surprised when I was suddenly face to face with the sprawling structure.

I gazed upon it, my eyes meticulously taking note of the grandness. In the middle, there stood a tall tower, an Egyptian obelisk that was actually built for the Roman Serapeum long ago. Surrounding it were carvings of four gods representing the four Great Rivers recognized by Renaissance geographers. There was really nothing like it.

I remembered the first time I had come upon this place.

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_Flashback_

"_Mom! Look at that!" I said, pressing up my face against the vehicle's window._

_My mother turned to me and immediately her eyes brightened. My father, seeing the delight in his wife's eyes, followed her gaze to the beautiful structure._

_Without delay, he said to the taxi driver, "_Penso che otteniamo fuori qui. Grazie."

_I dashed out of the car as my father went around to help my mother out of the car. She was a bit sickly but I never thought of anything of it. Father always said it didn't matter whether her body was strong or not, all that mattered was that she loved me fiercely and always would._

"_Mom! Dad! Look at it. That's just friggin' awesome!" I hollered. _

_They chuckled lightly when my father spoke up, amused, "Well, I'll be damned, Elizabeth. My son has an appreciation for architecture. Who woulda thought?"_

_I darted around at the speed of light, going around every single inch of the structure that I could without diving into the fountain_. Mom would kill me_, I thought._

_My father led her to a bench not too far away so she could sit and still enjoy the view from a good distance. I ran over to them. "That's gotta be the most beautiful thing you ever did see, right, Mom?"_

"_I beg to differ, Edward. Your Mom is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," said my father._

_I rolled my eyes, snorting. "I think I just threw up in my mouth. Thank you for ruining this experience for me, Dad."_

"_Richard, you've got him throwing up on our first day in Italy. You could at least make an effort to let the boy enjoy," my mother quipped._

"_Yeah, Dad. You hear that?"_

"_I am just stating a fact. You people, no appreciation for my devilish charm," he said, pouting._

_My mother laughed deeply, one that came from the very pit of her stomach. My father's eyes lit up. Nothing made him happier than making Mom laugh like that. Her laughing subsided and she leaned over to kiss him._

"_I'm going back to the fountain now that Mom's switched over to the dark side with you, Dad," I said, running happily over to the fountain at the middle of the square._

_I bent over the edge to dip my hand just a little into the pool. I looked back them to give them a wide smile. My father now had his arm around my mother and they just watched me carefully, completely content smiles on their faces._

_End Flashback_

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That was a long time ago, twelve years to be exact. And I was very much different from that rambunctious eleven year old. _A lot of things have happened since then,_ I thought. But my ramifications were interrupted before they could go any further. I heard a small sigh to the left of me. It wasn't directed at me or anything. But something about that sigh made me look up.

And that was when I knew. I knew what had drawn me to this certain spot, what had made the night seem so wonderfully different from every other. It was her. I had found her. I was a firm believer in fate and I knew _it_ was what had guided me to this certain spot. I didn't know what her name was, I had never seen her in my life, but I knew who she was. She was the woman I was going to spend the rest of my life with if she would only have me. I coun ldn't explain what it was that made me so sure, so absolutely clear at this point in time. Maybe it was all those stories people told you about how they met the person they were meant to be with, maybe it was me being delusional at the sight of such a beautiful girl... but my mind, body and heart was protesting it wasn't, the entirety of my being told me different.

I stared at her. If anyone were to see me, if SHE were to see me, she'd surely think I was deranged. But I couldn't help myself. It just wasn't an option for me to turn my eyes away from her and this explosive thing I was feeling. The night had shook me before but looking at this brilliance, this woman, shook me to my very core. My eyes drank in the sight of her: her long, mahogany mane, her beautiful cognac-colored eyes, her deliciously full lips. My eyes traveled down her frame; tiny waist, ample bosom and rounded hips. I sighed at the perfection of it. I could not stay away a moment longer. But what would I say? Hi, my name is Edward Cullen, you must be my soulmate? I scoffed inwardly at myself. No, that wouldn't go down well.

But even with those thoughts running through my head, I found my feet taking giant steps toward her. She wasn't far away and so I was there in two seconds flat. She seemed to be marveling at the fountain just as I had been a few minutes ago. But the fountain was forgotten to me. All I could see now was her.

She looked up at me, a little confusion mixed in with surprise in her light brown eyes. Almost immediately, I felt like I was sucked into those two almond-shaped wonders, never to find my way back. _No complaints here_, I thought_. _But suddenly, she spoke, "_È ci un probem, signore_?"

This was a perfect time to lose all knowledge of Italian, however. "Um… Hola! Shit, that's not right. Oh, wait! Ciao!" It was a perfect time lose all knowledge of ANY proper language, apparently.

She laughed softly and even if it was at my own expense, I decided I would do everything I could to hear that sound again, forever if I could manage it. "Ciao to you too! Although I heard a little English in there and even though I love Italian, I'm more comfortable with English. Do you mind?" she asked.

"Not at all. It's actually my first language as well. I take it you're not from around here?" I said. A coherent sentence. _By George, I think I've done it! _ I said sarcastically to myself.

She smiled and I felt my heart begin to pound in my chest. "That obvious, huh? Well, I'm not usually. I just moved out here recently for work. Today's actually my first day out since settling in."

"Well, Italy is honored to have you, Ms…?" I trailed off, hoping to all hope that she wouldn't run away now thinking some lunatic was inquiring her name.

"Bella. Bella Swan," she replied. And I knew that name would stay with me forever.

"Bella," I said. "It's very nice to meet you. My name is Edward Masen."

"Nice to meet you as well… Edward," I smiled, liking the sound of my name coming from her lips.

"So how are you enjoying Italy so far?" I asked.

"No complaints whatsoever. I've always wanted to live here and well, I'm happy to say that the reality surpasses even the dream. I mean, just look at that," she said, pointing at the fountain.

I didn't even turn my head, I didn't dare look away from her a moment more than I had to. _Intelligent_, I thought. You could just tell from the way she spoke. However, I took in her features once more and couldn't help but be struck by how beyond beautiful she was. There was nothing like her.

"Yes, this is one of my favorite places in the world. And it's good to hear you're enjoying. It wouldn't do to have to live in a place you didn't you like," I said, hoping the flow of the conversation was making up for my bumbling idiot act at the beginning.

"Like it? I love it!" she exclaimed freely, her hand movements causing her to accidentally hit the side of the fountain. This was a girl with no pretense and it just made that swell in my chest all that more pressing. A little clumsy but that didn't detract from her charm whatsoever. She rubbed her left forearm a little and just as I was about to reach out to take it and see if she was hurt, she stilled. She checked the time on her watch and gasped. "Oh God, I'm late! I have to go! It was nice to meet you, Edward!"

She hurried off hastily and my heart sunk with each step that greatened the distance between us. She turned back once to give me a breathtaking smile and I knew I couldn't just let her walk away from me. Not without the promise of a next time. "Wait! Bella!" I called after her.

She stopped and turned back to me. "Yes?" she said a little breathily.

I ran my hands through my hair. _Great, idiot. Now what are you gonna say? _I decided to just be straight with her. I had no intentions of playing games with her so why not just be honest? "I'd really like to see you again. Can we meet up sometime soon?" I asked, taking in a large breath and awaiting her reply.

Her face broke out into altogether astounding grin. "I'd love to. Here's my number. Call me and we'll set something up," she said, taking out a piece of paper and writing her number down.

My insides almost burst out with pure joy. "I'll definitely be calling you then."

She faced back slightly as she said, "Pleasure meeting you, Edward."

Before she turned completely, I grasped her wrist gently. It was utterly stupid of me but I didn't even realize what I was doing until I had done it. I bent down to her and lightly pressed my lips against her smooth cheek. "The pleasure was definitely all mine, Bella. Take care. Till next time," I said, letting go of her. She blushed and my eyes softened immediately at the sight. She just gave me another small smile that made my heart stop before taking her leave. And now I understood. I understood what it was for my father to see my mother and all his ramblings about her. I understood what it was to see that one person and know that you would never see anything more beautiful, more perfect, more right for you, in existence.

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**I'm not exactly sure how this turned out, considering I've never really written anything before, but I do hope that I got the job done. Also, Edward WILL be featured as a vampire but later on. I've gotta lay a bit of foundation for the rest of this story to progress. Let me know what you think. :)**


	2. Chapter 2: Stolen

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. They all belong to the lovely Stephenie Meyer who we all owe dearly for introducing us to the world's most perfect man, the one, the only EDWARD CULLEN. Also, the name of this story is shamelessly taken from one of my favorite French movies. The plot is totally different from this one but you'll see how it applies in later chapters.**

**A/N**** Here is the second chapter. I know it took me awhile but do forgive me because I had a stye the size of Africa and I could be barely see through it, much less type. It still isn't completely gone but I can see better and I'll be updating more now. With that, I'd like to thank RikkuYuki for the review and to all the others for alerting this story. Thanks to asimpledesign who even added me as a favorite! That definitely made my day. Hope you guys enjoy. :)**

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October 11, 2007

I lay against the wall of the church Santa Cecilia in Trastevere. Somehow being close to this church gave me some solace. The story of St. Cecilia had always interested me, how she came into martyrdom and how she became known as a miracle since her body never seemed to decay. Because that was what I now was: an undecaying corpse. However, a miracle I was not. How could I be when this… this thing that happened to me was keeping me away from my Bella? I cared nothing of my soul. That mattered little to me compared to that beautiful girl I had met by the fountain. What filled me with burgeoning agony was that my heart had stop beating. I didn't care if I was dead. But once upon a time, I had lived for Bella, my heart literally beat for Bella and now that was taken away from me. She was taken away from me.

But the memories would never be. I would not allow it.

See that was the thing. Even if my body had gone through an insurmountable pain those three days I was being turned by that wretched woman into this disgusting piece of existence… I was so sure it would be enough to rip away all memories I had of my past life… of Bella… But when I woke up, they were still there. I had promised myself I wouldn't lose them but I didn't think that would actually hold true.

And as much as it pained me to remember all these things and not be able to look deep into her eyes, to kiss her, to touch her… I could never want these things taken away. Because ye, they hurt. They certainly didn't help my situation any. But a life without even the memory of Bella would be nothing, just meaningless.

And so here I sat. Carlisle and Esme would start wondering where I am but I didn't really care much at the moment. I was having one of those days where bearing with the pain was especially hard. And so I did the only thing the ache in my chest would be satisfied with - I sat and thought of her, of our story.

I had heard people talk about the Earth moving when they meet that special person, only to scoff at them in disbelief. I mean, really, world spinning and feelings of floating? Please.

I still don't believe in that.

Because for me, it was a very different experience when I met Bella.

When I first laid eyes on Bella, my heart shattered and found its missing parts all at the same time. I stopped breathing and couldn't get enough breaths all at the same time. I knew what it was I was feeling but couldn't even begin to give justice to the elation.

All I knew at that time was that I had found her and I would do everything I could to keep her.

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_February 8, 2004 (The italicized date is to indicate that this is a flashback. I would make the whole thing italicized but there are going to be a lot of flashbacks these next few chapters and personally, it becomes a little uncomfortable to read in that form after awhile)_

I couldn't even begin to stop thinking about her. It had been four days since I had met Bella in the Piazza Navona and I was waiting for an opportune moment to call her. Work had been killing me these past few days since the construction of two of my designs was going less than smoothly. I actually had a lot to think about but I couldn't help it. She was always there, at the back of my mind.

I walked into my office after having checked up on the construction of one of my current projects. I immediately went over to my secretary's desk, hoping she had good news for me. "Ciao, Alessandra. Please tell me I have some spare time before I have to go on site again."

Alessandra smiled just a little too sweetly and said in a light Italian accent, "Ciao, Edward," I asked all my employees to call me this. It was just too weird having to hear Mr. Masen everyday. "I am glad to report that you have a little over an hour before you have to be down at Al Ceppo for your lunch with those people looking to put up a new museum."

"Brilliant. Thanks, Sandra," I said before dashing into my office. After all, I was a man with a plan. The moment I had closed my door, I took out my phone and looked for her name in my phonebook. I had long encoded her number into my phone. I began to dial and suddenly, a million thoughts raced through my head. What would I say? I didn't even think to plan ahead of time. This was just great. I would sound like a complete bumbling…

"Hello?" said a soft voice from the speaker.

"Good morning," I said, my racing mind quieting at the sound of lovely voice. Just what time is it? I hope I didn't wake her up, I thought. Too late now though. "This is Edward Masen. Is this Ms Bella Swan?" I asked.

"Oh, hello. Yes, this is Bella Swan. I was wondering when you would call, Edward," she said. I felt the smile creeping up my cheeks at the way she addressed me. And she was wondering when I would call… I almost began to skip at the joy spreading through me. But I smacked myself in the forehead before I became that much of a moron, thank God.

"Yes, I realize it's been four days but I've just been swamped at work. How are you?" I asked. As if we were old friends. Who was I to really be talking to this amazing girl?

"Oh, I've been good. I've been quite busy with work as well since I am sort of new. And you?" her voice was enthralling. It wasn't too high but it was fluid, almost graceful.

"Honestly? Not very well. Calling you has been the only thing on my mind lately and so everything else just seemed like a disturbance," I admitted.

She was silent a moment and I wondered if I had been too forward. "Well, you certainly know how to make a girl blush," she joked.

I pictured that rosy tint spreading through her faultless face. It was enough to embolden my words even further, "I need to see you again, Bella. Will you meet with me?"

"That sounds great, Edward. When?"

"As soon as your schedule will allow," I said.

"Hold on a sec," she said. There was a clinking sound so I assumed that she put down the phone to go check her schedule. She returned a few moments later. "How about this Thursday?"

I went behind my desk and checked my planner as well. Thursday I had a late afternoon meeting with that Dr Cullen who wanted to build a new hospital in Travestere. That shouldn't take too long. I'll just explain to him my haste, if ever, I thought. "Thursday is perfect. I'll pick you up about half past 7?" I asked.

"Pick me up?" she asked.

I furrowed my brows. "Of course. I would never make you get there by yourself."

She chuckled lightly into the phone. And yet another time, that sound just seemed to lift my spirits. "So chivalry isn't dead. Great. I'll see you at 7:30, Edward."

"Yes. Text me your address and I'll see you then," I said. "Goodbye, Bella."

"Goodbye, Edward," and with that, she put down the phone and I realized that Thursday just could not come fast enough.

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**A/N A bit short, I know, but if I had added the date, it would've been way too long. So here it is and I hope you enjoyed.**


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